Beijing Itinerary Day Five

Welcome back travellers. So we're down to our last full day in Beijing, before we move on to explore even more of this vast Country, and today is all about the Summer Palace and Olympic Park.

I realised I haven't mentioned breakfast for a few blogs, and whilst as stated in the first Beijing itinerary, you can probably purchase your breakfast from the hotel/hostel/lodging, you might also need a change every now and again. So whilst Beijing isn't particularly westernised in terms of coffee shops and bakeries, if you look around you might just find one. Being in the Dongsi area and having had a few late night walk abouts, we spotted a couple of bakeries not far from us which sold small packs of bread (about 8 slices) and small tubs of jam. I urge you to save the plastic spoon from your aeroplane meal, it works a treat as a makeshift knife for spreading jam. So we did this a few mornings too. Just a tip. And it's insanely cheap and the closest you're likely to get to toast or a continental - depending on where you're staying. Of course if you're in a massive five star hotel with all the trimmings, then I'm sure you'll find whatever you're after.

Anyhoo, enough about breakfast. Today we had a hefty lie in -8am - I know, can you believe it? We knew it would take about an hour to travel to the Summer Palace, to the North West of Beijing's central district, and it only opened around 9am, so for once there was no need to leave the hostel at 7am. Wow. Any one would think we were on holiday. Check out the website here. http://www.summerpalace-china.com/ There are options for English translations on the website and it will give you opening times depending on the time of year. For instance in the Summer the grounds are open 6.30am to 8.00pm, but of course in Winter months the timings are much shorter. Check ahead before your visit, so you don't miss out.

So when travelling to the Summer Palace, the best and cheapest route is definitely the Subway. The usual 2RMB (20p) will take you the entire one hour journey, I know, bargainous! Xiyuan is the stop for The Summer Palace and it is well signposted from there. Depending on where you approach from, you may have to change a couple of lines on the Subway, but again it all well signposted and in English too.

Unless you have a very limited time I would scream from the bottom of my lungs to get a THROUGH TICKET! That way you can visit pretty much everything, all the main halls and galleries and gates. The only extras you might need are boat trips - which incidentally only ran very early morning when we were there because of high winds - food and souvenirs. We planned four hours for ourselves and probably went over a bit. Five hours is perfect and of course if you have all day, just go for it, the gardens and the lake walks are magical.

One more tip. Pick up a souvenir map that they sell at the kiosk before you go in. They are super helpful and you can buy them in English and Chinese. Also, otherwise you will be wandering blind, as there is no free pamphlet and there is a lot of ground to cover. The maps are around 40RMB (£4) but completely worth it. They give you the layout - though the scale is a little haphazard. Things may look close together but they may be relatively far apart. I wouldn't advise the audio guide, unless you are a Chinese architecture buff, or historian. It's more important what you can see and there will likely be a section in your guide book offering you condensed versions of the audio guide anyway.

So let's get started:

                                   

First impressions........Wow!

Being the former Summer haunt of the Imperial Court, you will see an array of temples, pavilions, lakes, bridges and a few interesting styles of architecture. Around every turn there is something else to see, and even if there are crazy crowds, you can always find a tiny piece of tranquility. 

 One of my favourites, the Long Corridor, a 700m covered corridor, open at either end, is a work of art. Windows look out over the lake, all in different shapes. Walk the length, or climb out and explore where you can.

 Through the window out over the lake. You can just about see the 17 arch bridge. 

From the outside. Now that is some quirky window making. Love it!

When visiting the Palace, you need a wander up Longevity Hill, especially in the sunshine. Expect to find temples, pagodas, interesting paths, steps and walkways, and of course incredible views over the Kunming Lake. You might even find a few locals chilling out, performing Tai Chi and singing.

 Yizhou Hall

 Tai Chi with the locals

There are so many routes to follow, and there are sights and distances marked on sporadic signposts, even if you manage to get yourself a bit lost. But if you have your trusty souvenir map, or a map in your guide book then you should be okay to navigate around the extensive grounds of the palace.

Over the hill and on the opposite side from the lake, is the fantastic Suzhou Street, which you have to pay extra for - sorry, forgot about that earlier - but it is very little and if you don't have the time you can observe most of this gem from the bridge above it. It is a network of narrow walkways around a small lake and really is too cute. N.B It operates a one way system due to the tiny walkways. Stick to it, otherwise you might get wet!

 The Gate Tower of Dawn Light

 Suzhou Street

Ocarina Guy. This guy was playing various Ocarinas from his little stall and just made incredible sounds with them. They are pretty expensive to buy, but are also the real deal. He will try to teach you, despite the language barrier, and he shows his opinion of your playing, quite plainly. His sounds will guide you on your trip around the teeny walkways and over the bridges of this mini masterpiece.

From here, you are in a great position to start your trek up to the summit of Longevity Hill, for you prize: The Buddhist Fragrance Pavilion and Temple of the Sea of Wisdom. Bring your climbing legs with you, there are a lot of steps, but it is totally worth it. And you'll work up an appetite for your impending lunch, once you get down the other side.

On the way up there are caves and paths through the rocks and different directions you can take that all inevitably wind you up the hill. The view is breathtaking and for me this beat the Forbidden City in terms of sheer beauty and variation.

 At the top, looking down. 

 Look how cool and colourful these steps down are. It makes it worth the tired legs. 

Back down to ground level and time for a spot of lunch. 

Along the river are a few kiosks offering staples of Chinese fast food, including noddle pots, meat and rice pots - both of which you add hot water, which they provide you - sausages on a stick and bags of dumplings. They also have snacks, drinks and some even have the Beijing yoghurt. There are a couple of tea houses and more upmarket places to eat but you are likely to spend a lot more there and it will cut into the time of your visit. We went for dumplings. Six in a bag for 10RMB (£1). Bargain. 

 I was in need of those dumplings, and as you can see I am very much enjoying them. 

For the afternoon we decided to head around the bottom of the hill to explore what lay to the North West. Well, there's a marble boat, boat tours - though like I said earlier, they are weather permitting and while it is a lake not a sea, it can get quite choppy - even more bridges at some unbelievable angles and a choice of lake side walks. 

The Marble boat, which apparently sails. No. I don't believe it. 

If you take the West Causeway as we did and walk around the entire lake, I am just warning you, IT IS FAR! It took us about two hours and you will be tired at the end of it, especially if you have to rush like we did. Still, it is an absolute beauty of a walk and the scenery is remarkable.

 The West Causeway

Don't forget: No romping! You have been warned. 

 Looking back on Longevity Hill

 The 17 Arch Bridge

 Some of the views along the way. 

I would say the Summer Palace is a must see if you have several days in Beijing, otherwise you may have to leave it out, but I have hopefully shown you, it is a veritable feast of architecture, beauty, serenity, and water. You will be tired by the end of it, but that just shows good speed tourism. You work for it and you earn it. 

Now for another of my ultimate geeky things: Olympic Parks. I have been known to visit the odd Summer Olympic and Winter Olympic venue during our travels. In fact, I'm racking up quite a few now over three continents. What was great about visiting Beijing's Olympic legacy was the fast that it was still so prominent, being only 5 years previous. We hopped into a taxi and settled in for a lengthy ride to the Olympic village about 7 kms North of the City Centre. 

 Some interesting building along the way. 

 First glimpse of the Bird's Nest. 

 The Water Cube

You can buy a combined ticket to visit both these iconic venues for 80RMB (£8), but I recommend you buy them from the guy in the hut rather than the people desperate to sell you one from the moment you get out of the taxi. They will try to convince you but you never know if you'll actually end up with the right ticket, so just head for the little ticket hut. Safer. I would advise around 2 hours at the least in order to explore both venues. Obviously you can just pay the individual prices if you only have enough time for one. (30RMB for the Water Cube and 50RMB for the Bird's Nest.) Check out more at the official Beijing Olympic Park site: http://www.bopac.gov.cn/english/parkintro/

 The pools. You can wander in and have a look at the main pool hall. All the flags around the edges are a nice touch and it is still used for regional, national and international swim meets, which is great.

There are several exhibitions scattered around the building, as it is laid out on many floors, covering everything from how the Cube was built, to how many medals China won. The warm up pool is actually used as a public pool now and there is even a water park, but when we were there it was closed for some pretty intense cleaning. With any luck it will re-open, it looked pretty cool. It's nice to see the space being used and Beijing keeping the Olympic legacy going. So many past Olympic sites we have visited have become nothing more than a ramshackle museum, if that. Oh and there are also places to eat and drink. 

 Now this is all about angles and dimensions and sheer architectural wizardry. 

 You can walk into the arena and sit in any of the thousands of seats, on any level. You can take the lifts or remarkably funky stair cases up to explore on all levels. They still have a few remaining souvenir shops where you can pick up mementos from the 2008 games. There is also a creepy wax work exhibit and a really great Opening Ceremony exhibit, featuring lots of the props from the mega ceremony. It is all self-guided, you just wander at your own leisure.

 It was sometimes easy to forget the fact that it was November, with the sun shining and those blue cloudless skies, but believe me, by 5pm, you knew about it. The Bird's Nest was made to be a breezy connoisseur of the Venturi or Wind Tunnel effect, as an August games in Beijing was likely to be at least forty degrees. So the plan to keep people cool and breezy was a great one. It kinda backfires in November and I suggest a hat, scarf, gloves and a warmer coat than I had on. Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

Looking back over the Water Cube

We stayed until closing time but then the great thing about Olympic Park is that you can wander the streets out front and the garden bits to your heart's content, once the venues have closed their doors. And we found The Flame and The Wall of Medalists, which I think is completely awesome and a lovely memory for all! 

 All the medalists in both the Olympic and Paralympic sports are etched in stone for all to see. 

We also made the decision to wait out the dark, as we wanted to see it all lit up. There aren't many places to take shelter here, but we did manage to find a shopping mall to take cover from that brutal wind. Turn right and head away from The Bird's Nest and you'll see signs for the mall. Once you leave Olympic Park you go through a security gate, which is open late and when you re-enter, you need to do the bag security check, that you are all old hat at now. 

Now, I can't stress just how strong that wind was but it was worth it for this view. 

 The viewing tower and Bird's Nest, an array of light and colour. 

The water Cube and all those bubbles. 

By this time we had more than worked up an appetite for a Beijing staple we were missing: Peking Duck. Time to rectify that. Now, Olympic Park has its own Subway station which is signposted, so head there for a quick getaway. But not before your photograph with the mascots. 

A very cold Sarky Traveller, still enjoying herself. 

There are many places to eat Peking Duck throughout the city but we chose the wonderful and very reasonably priced: Beiping Ju Restaurant, which was mentioned in our Lonely Planet Guide. Thank you for that. Alight at Guloudaje station - or Shichahai if transfers allow it - for a nice walk through the vibrant 'Lakes Area' to the restaurant. It sits on Di'anmenwai Dajie. 

It does have an English menu; large with beautiful colour photographs, but unless you have someone who doesn't like duck with you, it's likely you'll only need the Peking duck page. You can order a whole duck for 98RMB (£9.80) and then add cucumber, pancakes and sauce or any other trimmings separately. They come and carve it at your table, which is pretty cool and though the meat to skin ratio is a little lower than we'd hoped, it was a Beijing tradition we were unwilling to miss out. (Vegetarians may want to look away for the next couple of photographs.)

 Bustling with locals and a spattering of tourists. 

 Our own private carver.

 And after that and a large beer between us, we set off to look over the lakes, the sprawl of restaurants, clubs and bars that makes this area one of the prime nightspots of the city. Shame we didn't have time for more of an explore, but we had to pack for our next adventure.

Join me next time when we'll be tackling The Great Wall at one of its more remote spots and one of the furthest Wall trips you can take from Beijing. It will blow your mind, like it did ours and I can't wait to write it for you guys. Thanks for reading and I hope I have provided some useful tips and itineraries for your time in Beijing, or simply that I have inspired you to go. I'll say it again, if you are on a budget holiday for whatever reason, as we were, China is a fantastic destination. You get so much for your money and a really unique experience.

Until next time, keep travelling.

The Sarky Traveller